At the time of the hearings, Elliott Abrams was serving as assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs, his third assistant secretary position at the Department of State. Abrams was tasked by Secretary of State George Shultz to “monitor” Lt. Col. Oliver North’s activity in Central America. Abrams testified that he tried to oversee what “Ollie” was doing, but North misled him. Abrams’ testimony turned out to be among the most contentious of the hearings. He consistently denied knowing—or wanting to know—key aspects of the U.S. involvement in Nicaragua, which prompted Rep. Jack Brooks (D-TX) to declare that Abrams “takes more pride in not knowing anything than anybody I ever saw.”